PAVSA Sexual Assault Advocacy Training (40 hours)
The State of Minnesota requires all sexual assault advocates to attend forty hours of training through a recognized sexual assault program. PAVSA offers this training twice a year in October and in February/March.
The training is conducted by PAVSA staff and area professionals with expertise in specific areas.
Trainees will receive information about the following topics:
• Sexual assault dynamics including: stranger assault, non stranger assault, male sexual assault and drug facilitated assault.
• Oppression of women as it relates to sexual assault.
• Child sexual abuse and incest.
• Sexual harassment dynamics and how to report.
• The legal system including: reporting a sexual assault, investigation processes, prosecution and sentencing of sex offenders.
• Hospital exams including: evidence collection, medical concerns, prevention of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. This training is conducted on-site at a local hospital.
• Crisis counseling and intervention skills including: establishing safety, meeting immediate needs, suicide assessment and intervention, also information and referral.
• Counseling skills, boundary setting, active listening.
• Working with secondary survivors, parents, partners, friends and family.
• Rape trauma syndrome.
• Cultural competency training, including an undoing racism component.
After completing the training, participants will be able to:
- Respond to a variety of crisis situations by phone or in person.
- Build rapport with a diverse group of people calling the crisis line.
- Provide advocacy in medical and legal settings.
- Understand the dynamics of the different forms of sexual violence.
- Provide appropriate information and referral to victims of sexual assault.
- Understand that different cultures affect how a victim responds to being sexually assaulted.
- Be self reflective and actively engaged in challenging personal beliefs about sexual assault and cultural groups that may hinder the helping process.
